http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. Individuals suffering from mood and anxiety disorders such as bipolar, panic disorder and major depressive disorder may be more likely to abuse opioids, according to a new study led by researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. They found that mood and anxiety disorders are highly associated with non-medical prescription opioid use. The results are featured in a recent issue of the Journal of Psychological Medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-12-opioid-abuse-linked-mood-anxiety.html Psychology & Psychiatry Tue, 13 Dec 2011 15:54:41 EST news243014073 Emily Marchant had a can of Red Bull at her elbow as she went over an assignment in a Harper College library carrel. She is a long-standing fan of the beverage, she said, usually drinking one a day when she needs a boost. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-12-federal-er-highly-caffeinated-tenfold.html Health Wed, 07 Dec 2011 17:00:06 EST news242492168 Nearly 2 million adults in California, about 8 percent of the population, need mental health treatment, but the majority receive no services or inadequate services, despite a state law mandating that health insurance providers include mental health treatment in their coverage options, a new report by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research shows. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-million-californians-mental-health-treatment.html Health Wed, 30 Nov 2011 13:27:18 EST news241882031 Many of the proposed actions in the government's white paper Healthy Lives, Healthy People lack evidence of effectiveness and some have even been shown not to work, according to an analysis published in the British Medical Journal today. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-health-white-paper-lack-evidence.html Health Thu, 17 Nov 2011 18:52:08 EST news240778304 Childhood aggression is strongly linked to poorer health in adults and to higher use of health services, according to a new study in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-childhood-aggression-linked-poorer-health.html Health Mon, 14 Nov 2011 12:28:47 EST news240496106 Community health centers (CHCs) and primary care providers working in other settings will increasingly become America's obesity "first responders," needed to provide weight-related health services as the nation continues to implement the Affordable Care Act. In a paper released today, the Strategies to Overcome and Prevent (STOP) Obesity Alliance identified a wide gap between the anticipated increase of people with weight-related conditions entering the health care system and a corresponding limited number of health professionals who are trained to help them. Considering the role CHCs may play in providing primary care to this newly-insured population, the Alliance worked to assess their readiness, and found ways that could improve obesity management services in the centers and other primary care settings. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-health-centers-america-obesity.html Health Tue, 08 Nov 2011 11:28:47 EST news239974120 The results of a large-scale community-randomized trial presented at the 42nd World Conference on Lung Health in Lille, France today show that the Zambia-South Africa TB and AIDS Reduction (ZAMSTAR) project reduced the prevalence of tuberculosis by 22%. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-prevalence-tb.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Sun, 30 Oct 2011 11:48:47 EST news239194116 Binge eating is a disorder which affects both men and women, yet men remain underrepresented in research. A new study published in the International Journal of Eating Disorders has found that the medical impact of the disorder is just as damaging to men as it is to women, yet research has shown that the number of men seeking treatment is far lower than the estimated number of sufferers. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-underrepresented-men-binge.html Health Wed, 26 Oct 2011 02:28:06 EST news238814872 (AP) -- More than 5,000 people are expected to show up for free medical care at a Los Angeles arena starting Thursday. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-free-la-medical-clinic-uninsured.html Health Thu, 20 Oct 2011 07:00:02 EST news238309043 Treating U.S. veterans with mental illness and substance use disorders is more expensive than caring for veterans with other medical conditions, costing more than $12 billion in 2007, according to a new RAND Corporation study. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-mentally-ill-veterans-good-health.html Psychology & Psychiatry Wed, 19 Oct 2011 16:22:41 EST news238260151 Stigma and discrimination lead to pervasive human rights violations against people with mental and psychosocial disabilities in low-income and middle-income countries. The final paper in The Lancet Series on Global Mental Health draws on the views, expertise, and experience of 51 people with mental and psychosocial disabilities from 18 low-income and middle-income countries as well as a review of English language literature including from UN publications, non-governmental organisation reports, press reports, and the academic literature. The report is by Natalie Drew, World Health Organization, Switzerland, and Sylvester Katontoka, Mental Health Users Network of Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia, and colleagues. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-inexcusable-human-rights-violations-people.html Psychology & Psychiatry Sun, 16 Oct 2011 18:30:05 EST news237982396 Scaling up mental health services in developing countries is an essential part of any plan to improve mental health worldwide. However recent data suggests while 1 in 3 people with a mental health problem in wealthy nations receive treatment (in itself a huge shortfall in care), in developing countries it can be as few as 1 in 50. The fourth paper in The Lancet Series on Global Mental Health looks at progress made since the Lancet's landmark 2007 Series on the same subject. The paper is written by Dr Julian Eaton, who works with CBM International and is based in Abuja, Nigeria, and colleagues from many other countries. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-scale-mental-health.html Psychology & Psychiatry Sun, 16 Oct 2011 18:30:04 EST news237982242 The first paper in The Lancet Series on Global Mental Health reviews the negative cycle of interaction between mental ill health and poverty in low-income and middle-income countries (LMIC). A review of published work shows that improving financial status does not always improve mental health status, whereas mental health interventions consistently improve economic status. The paper is by Dr Crick Lund, Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of Cape Town, South Africa, and colleagues. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-mental-health-status-financial.html Psychology & Psychiatry Sun, 16 Oct 2011 18:30:01 EST news237982300 A cholera epidemic in the Central African Republic has claimed 16 victims, a health ministry spokesman said Saturday, as another source said it had reached the capital. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-cholera-epidemic-central-african-republic.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Sat, 08 Oct 2011 16:46:34 EST news237311157 Where you live could play a larger role in health disparities than originally thought, according to a new study by researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. They examined a racially integrated, low-income neighborhood in Baltimore, Maryland and found that, with the exception of smoking, nationally reported disparities in hypertension, diabetes, obesity among women and use of health services disappeared or narrowed. The results are featured in the October 2011 issue of Health Affairs. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-larger-health-disparities.html Health Thu, 06 Oct 2011 10:37:35 EST news237116232 The prevalence of self-reported mental health disabilities increased in the U.S. among non-elderly adults during the last decade, according to a study by Ramin Mojtabai, MD, PhD, of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. At the same time, the study found the prevalence of disability attributed to other chronic conditions decreased, while the prevalence of significant mental distress remained unchanged. The findings will appear in the November edition of the American Journal of Public Health. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-09-mental-health-disability.html Psychology & Psychiatry Fri, 23 Sep 2011 15:57:17 EST news236012178 (Medical Xpress) -- People with serious mental illnesses in England are not seeing the improvement in death rates the rest of the population is experiencing, a study led by Oxford University has found. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-09-mortality-gap-people-mental-illness.html Psychology & Psychiatry Wed, 14 Sep 2011 09:47:52 EST news235212458 Suicidal teens are not likely to get the mental healthcare they need. This is according to a team of researchers at Seattle Children's Research Institute, the University of Washington (UW), and Group Health Research Institute. The study, "Adolescents With Suicidal Ideation: Health Care Use and Functioning," was recently published in Academic Pediatrics. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-09-percent-suicidal-teens-dont-mental.html Psychology & Psychiatry Wed, 14 Sep 2011 09:44:28 EST news235212251 Increased consolidation among health plans nationally may benefit consumers by lowering hospital prices, at least in those regions where health plans are the most consolidated, according to a new RAND Corporation study. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-09-health-hospital.html Health Thu, 08 Sep 2011 05:10:22 EST news234677412 Women with normal sized labia minora still seek labial reduction surgery for cosmetic reasons finds new research published today (24 August) in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-women-labial-reduction-surgery-cosmetic.html Other Wed, 24 Aug 2011 03:50:00 EST news233376581 Researchers from the Indiana University have identified common barriers and strategies for successfully implementing practice changes in Intensive Care Units (ICUs). The study, published in the August issue of Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, the journal of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America, reveals shared lessons learned from six ICUs as they implemented evidence-based practices to reduce Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-common-themes-emerge-hospitals-anti-mrsa.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Thu, 11 Aug 2011 16:40:52 EST news232299643 A groundbreaking new study published in the journal, Health Affairs, suggests that increases in public health spending result in healthier people, especially in communities with fewer resources. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-health-results-healthier-people.html Health Fri, 05 Aug 2011 11:04:36 EST news231761056 More than half of Americans aged 12 and up drink alcohol, a quarter binge-drank in the past month, and one in 14 teens has used marijuana, a US government agency says in a report on substance abuse. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-americans-alcohol.html Health Mon, 01 Aug 2011 16:18:16 EST news231433627 A new type of therapy may help people with symptoms such as pain, weakness, or dizziness that can't be explained by an underlying disease, according to a study published in the July 27, 2011, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. These symptoms, which can also include fatigue, tingling and numbness, are also known as functional or psychogenic symptoms. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-07-therapy-people-unexplained-symptoms-pain.html Psychology & Psychiatry Wed, 27 Jul 2011 16:50:03 EST news231002504 New research out of UCLA has found that Latinos living in the United States — particularly those who were born outside the country — are far less likely to spend for health care and are more likely to pay out-of-pocket when they do spend than the white population. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-07-big-gap-health-latinos-whites.html Health Wed, 27 Jul 2011 15:25:57 EST news230999130 After a basic package of health services was introduced by Afghanistan's Ministry of Public Health, the development and performance of Afghanistan's health care services improved dramatically in many areas between 2004 and 2008, particularly in health service capacity and delivery of care. However, the editors of PLoS Medicine warn of the dangers of security issues for health staff and patients, which is seriously hampering progress, and argue that the likelihood of Afghanistan emerging from its fragile status is far from certain. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-07-afghanistan-health-staff-patient.html Health Tue, 26 Jul 2011 17:23:54 EST news230919819 (AP) -- Physicians are threatening to stop serving nearly a million Puerto Ricans as a result of a dispute between the island's government and an insurance company over reimbursements for treating poor people. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-07-doctors-threaten-medicaid-cutoff-puerto.html Health Thu, 14 Jul 2011 05:38:55 EST news229840723 The research will be presented today at the 40th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Society of Academic Primary Care, hosted this year by the University of Bristol's Academic Unit of Primary Health Care. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-07-role-gps-women-experiencing-domestic.html Health Thu, 07 Jul 2011 05:23:36 EST news229234961 Since 2010, free public health services in Denmark no longer extend towards assisted reproduction treatments (ART). However, publicly funded treatment provides economic benefits to governments with ART births positively influencing long-term net tax revenue, the 27th Annual Meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology heard Wednesday. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-07-long-term-fiscal-impact-funding-ivf.html Health Wed, 06 Jul 2011 10:04:48 EST news229165470 Mental health screening has been demonstrated to successfully connect African-American middle school students from a predominantly low-income area with school-based mental health services, according to results of a new study led by the TeenScreen National Center for Mental Health Checkups at Columbia University. The study was published in a recent online early edition of the Community Mental Health Journal. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-06-screening-african-american-students-school-based-mental.html Psychology & Psychiatry Tue, 14 Jun 2011 14:22:50 EST news227280159